Section 3 | RULES OF THE GAME accounts. The situation is improving—over the past five years, regional and state hluttaw members have gone from lacking local cell coverage to nearly universal use of Facebook accounts for constituent relations—but beyond using mobile phones for social media communications, their overall technical capacity and understanding of the link between digital divides and broader social development remain low. EXECUTIVE Unlike the gains in women’s political representation in the legislature, the number of women in the cabinet decreased from two to just one—Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself. In its first IREX INSIGHT law-making action after the transfer of power, on April 5, 2016 the legislature approved a bill While the MoE and MoTC are creating a new “state counsellor” executive position for Suu Kyi by name, which made her the key drivers of change, it is the de facto head of state. Although vaguely defined, the position provides legal authority for her to “advise both executive and legislative branches, sidestepping the strict separation of powers enshrined in the constitution—a point strongly criticized by military and some opposition lawmakers.”167 For more on the long shadow Suu Kyi casts on the political essential to calibrate awareness and skill-building efforts with institutional absorptive capacity. economy of Myanmar, see section 4.1 below. In addition to nominating a cabinet, the president decides the number and scope of ministries (except for the three that remain under military control, as noted above). The new administration that transitioned to power in April 2016 chose to reduce the number of line ministries from thirty-six to twenty-one.168 The reorganization mainly involved consolidating ministries rather than making a significant cut in the number of departments or functions. For example, as described above, the staff and mandates of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Rail Transport, and Ministry of Transport were consolidated into a new Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC).169 The Department of Social Welfare, which bears responsibility for women’s issues, remains within International Crisis Group, Myanmar’s New Government. Official Website of the Office of the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Accessed January 2017. 169 Ministry of Transportation and Communications website. Accessed February 14, 2017. 167 168 Ending the Gender Digital Divide in Myanmar: A Problem-Driven Political Economy Assessment | 51